Nakaya
Nakaya Neo Standard Sumiko Ascending Dragon
Nakaya Neo Standard Sumiko Ascending Dragon
One of the most subtle and beautiful forms of Japanese Urushi techniques is Sumiko, and the Nakaya Neo Standard Sumiko Ascending Dragon fountain pen is a striking example of this specialized craft. Charcoal powder is mixed with Urushi lacquer and black carbon ink is layered on the surface of the pen to create a textured motif surface.
The Nakaya Neo Standard Sumiko Ascending Dragon fountain pen is available with your choice of solid gold 14k single-tone nib in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, or Extra Broad, with Fine Soft, Medium Soft, and Super Extra Fine nibs also available.
The double slit Music nib is available at an added premium, as are plated nibs in Pink Gold, Rhodium, Ruthenium, or Two-Tone - consult our Nakaya Nibs page for details.
The response to this design has been highly enthusiastic. One of our customers says, ""This is the best shape that Nakaya has ever made.""
The traditional Ascending Dragon motif is a theme with an extraordinarily rich and complex history in Asian art and literature. Because of the way the ink is layered with black on top of black, the design seems to literally ascend from within the pen. The soft matte texture gives it a special feel between the fingers, and makes it a pleasure to hold with even the lightest grip.
This is hand-made craftsmanship at its highest form, with extreme care given to forming every detail of the dragon and its surrounding emblems. Stylized smoke shapes fill the space between the figures - perhaps a sly allusion to the charcoal or ash traditionally utilized in Sumiko technique.
Nakaya pens can be filled with bottled ink using the provided converter and can also use Platinum brand high quality ink cartridges. Hand-painted Maki-e converters are also available.
The Neo Standard is only available with a clip. The ruthenium-plated version pictured here complements the deep matte black of the body.
These 14k nibs are well-suited to customizations including Architect's point, Stub, Cursive Italic, and Left Oblique, as well as the modification for added flex.
Though the full range of Nakaya nibs is made available, the ruthenium-plated version shown here add a smoky richness which balances the deep shades of the Sumiko finish. Notice the flaming pearl symbol on the gripping section, yet another detailed element that adds to the overall effect of this writing instrument.
The Nakaya Neo Standard Sumiko Ascending Dragon fountain pen arrives in a special tall presentation box crafted from solid softwood, decorated with Japanese Kanji script, and lined with green velvet. A fabric pen ""kimono"" is included, while brown ribbon allows you to tie the box and adds a unique finishing touch.
Nakaya pens are individually handcrafted in a process that requires a minimum of three to six months and often much longer.
Unless requested otherwise, each pen or nib you purchase from us will be carefully examined, tested, and optimized for your personal writing characteristics before it ships. See our nib set-up and optimization page for more details.
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Customization Guide
Stub
 
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Above is the same size nib after a regrind to Stub. A regrind to Stub is often a good place to start for your first customization. Â A Stub nib provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes while writing, and is less position-sensitive on the paper than the crisper and slightly more demanding cursive italic.
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Cursive Italic
 
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More demanding, but also providing crisper edges and more line-width variation, is the very popular customization to Cursive Italic. This also provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes, but is also more position-sensitive in terms of how the pen is held and requires more skill on the part of the user. This is a common customization for artists and calligraphers, but is still smooth enough to make for a good everyday writer.
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Formal Italic
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Formal Italic is an even crisper and more demanding customization than either cursive italic or left oblique, and is usually utilized for calligraphy and by the most experienced users. This provides broad down-strokes and narrow cross-strokes, with even crisper corners and edges than a cursive italic - this is an extremely position-sensitive customization.
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Left Oblique
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 Commonly used for signatures and correspondence, the Left Oblique customization provides broad diagonal strokes and narrow cross-strokes, and like a cursive italic, is more position-sensitive and demanding than a stub. The whole pen must be rotated to the left in order to write smoothly, without skipping. The "Left" in Left Oblique refers to the cut of the nib itself, and does not refer to the handedness of the writer. |
Architect's Point (Also for Arabic and Hebraic writing)
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A more exotic regrind is that to Architect’s Point. Named after the style of writing used by Frank Lloyd Wright, this regrind is the opposite of cursive italic, and provides for broad cross-strokes and narrow down-strokes. This also tends to be a particularly useful customization for those practicing Arabic or Hebraic calligraphy. |
Spencerian
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Perhaps our most popular customization, but also one of the most advanced, the Mottishaw Spencerian Customization has gained special attention from being featured in a customer's YouTube video which has now received over twelve million views! The Spencerian starts from a semi-soft 14k nib and adds additional flex and a regrind to needlepoint to create a specialized writing point used for copperplate calligraphy. For more details, visit our special Spencerian page.. |